Lawrence Arabia's Absolute Truth Out Today

July 8th 2016

Lawrence Arabia's fourth album Absolute Truth hits shelves around the country today.

NZ's song-book connoisseur Lawrence Arabia has a penchant for penning earworms at once inspired and unsettling, evidenced by the success of three albums - the anthemic Lawrence Arabia, the sing-along groove of Chant Darling (from which the 2009 single Apple Pie Bed took out the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll), and the sparse, dark affair that was The Sparrow, which earned Arabia (real name James Milne) a Tui (New Zealand Music Award) for Best Male Solo Album in 2013.

Now firmly positioned in the great Kiwi song hall of fame, Milne is back at the height of his powers with his fourth solo album and his strongest yet - Absolute Truth - available today nationwide.

The album seeks what it states, as Lawrence Arabia charts an honest journey into his own contemporary struggles - always lined with an unpretentious warmth - aptly visualised in the topographical rendering of Milne's own face on the LP sleeve.

The songs were recorded in a reclusive, night-owl bout during dark hours under plastic moulding factory Gyro Plastics in the Hutt Valley. Mike Fabulous (Lord Echo, Fabulous/Arabia) co-produced the whole affair. "The street we recorded on is all heavy industry pretty much", says Milne. "We weren't really allowed to make noise during work hours, so we'd work from mid afternoon till the early morning, while the suburb was totally deserted."

From the album's sublime opener and first single A Lake (described by The Line Of Best Fit as "a confident, assured sound... Lawrence Arabia's new album will give him the worldwide recognition his music deserves") through to second single Another Century - a contemporary love story like only Mr. Arabia can deliver. Just yesterday The 405 unveiled the music video for Another Century, directed by award-winning NZ/German filmmaker Florian Habicht, the "infectious, memorable and beautifully melodic" number cast into a "strong, memorable" video filmed at a Bangkok Hotel.

This is just the tip of the ice-cream as far as Absolute Truth goes - showcasing Milne's ever-extending songwriting chops and emotional heft, it's his most mature and honest album yet. Be sure to snaffle up a copy from good record stores around the country.

To celebrate, Lawrence Arabia is hitting NZ's main trunk to bring the songs of Absolute Truth to stages around the country. See below for dates, and head to undertheradar.co.nz for tickets.